Joe Francis could be in line for a Brands Hatch return after starting the recovery from his dramatic Cadwell Park crash.

The 19-year-old from Backford suffered a fracture to his L1 vertebrae after parting company with his Movuno.com Halsall Racing Yamaha R6 in spectacular fashion on lap four of the Sunday feature race.

As the bike disintegrated into dozens of pieces across the Lincolnshire countryside, Francis was stretchered to the side of the track, but was able to walk into the medical centre before being taken to hospital for further scans and diagnosis.

With the Chester-born teenager now recovering back at home, team owner Martin Halsall says the main focus now is getting him back to full health, regardless of how long it will take.

“It was an enormous crash, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on the TV screen and it was just such a relief that Joe wasn’t even more seriously injured,” he said.

“We knew we were just going to have to see how his recovery went, and as far as we’re concerned that’s the only thing that’s important at the moment.”

Joe Francis has fractured his vertebrae in a horror smash at Cadwell Park

With Francis sidelined for at least the next two rounds, Halsall says the team has no plans to field a bike for any other rider this year, but will return only if and when Francis is ready.

“The injuries have put Joe out for three rounds, and at this point he needs to work on getting fit and well again,” continued Halsall.

“We would like to think he will be back and race fit in time for Brands Hatch next month [October 13-15], but we’re going to have to just wait and see.

“It’s been an up and down season for us, with it all coming together just a few weeks before the first round, and we’ve had a lot of bad luck along the way.

“But Joe has demonstrated time and again his skills and talent, and we just hope we can get to end the season on a bit of a high if he is ready to come back for the last round.”